Our comfort zone is a place where you feel safe and comfortable, but growth and progress, and especially solo travel, often require leaving that place behind. In this article we will take a look at ways to escape your comfort zone, ideas to ease into solo travel, as well as the benefits gained when travelling alone.
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For those of you who have never travelled alone, remember you have to learn to walk before you can run. Solo travel is much like training for a marathon, you have to take it just one step at a time.
“Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere” – Mae West
ESCAPE YOUR COMFORT ZONE INTO THE WORLD OF SOLO TRAVEL
How To Escape Your Comfort Zone and Travel Solo Like A Pro
Solo travelling can be daunting and intimidating for those of you who have never ventured out on your own before.
Start Small
For those of you who have never travelled alone, remember you have to learn to walk before you can run. Solo travel is much like training for a marathon, you have to take it just one step at a time. Visiting a place on your own that you’re already familiar with is a great place to start, even if it’s being a tourist in your hometown.
New Activity Or Hobby
Doing something you’ve never done before, like taking a cooking class or learning a new language, can help you challenge yourself and develop a new skill.
Meet New People
Strike up a conversation with someone new, attend a networking event, or join a social group. Meeting new people can help you to gain new perspectives, and help you feel comfortable in a crowd of strangers.
Face Your Fears
Identify something that scares you and makes you feel uncomfortable, and take steps to overcome it. Whether it’s public speaking, skydiving, or just having a difficult conversation with someone, once you do it, you will feel an immense sense of accomplishment.
Change Your Routine
Trying a new route to work, rearranging your workspace, or taking a different approach to a project can help you break out of your routine and experience things in a new way. Solo travel requires adaptability which changing your routine will help you to accomplish
Remember, escaping your comfort zone is not always easy and can be stressful, but the benefits can be worth it. By taking some small steps, you can start to challenge yourself and grow in new ways.
Ways To Prepare For Travelling Alone
When preparing to travel alone, it’s not necessary, nor even recommended, to travel abroad on your first solo trip. Remember take small steps to ease yourself out of your comfort zone.
To help you get started to preparing for travelling alone, here are a few simple ideas:
- visit your favourite local weekend destination. You may even already have a favourite hotel or B & B that you like to stay at. This is even better, as the fear of solo travel is the unknown and a familiar place is a good place to start, so book it!
- do your research to determine what your destination has to offer. Whether it be cute little shops, wineries, cycling tours along a river, be sure you create an itinerary. If you don’t do this, you will find yourself sitting in a room alone trying to figure out what you want to do, all while feeling sorry for yourself. This defeats the purpose of travelling solo.
- If you don’t feel comfortable stepping out on your own, book a tour with a group. This is also a great way to meet other travellers.
- Even after a decade of travelling solo, I still find meal time the most intimidating. There are ways to get around this. If you don’t feel comfortable eating at a restaurant alone, grab some food to go (make sure that it’s healthy), or hit the nearest grocery store and pick up some snacks. If you really want to escape your comfort zone, the following can make eating alone easier for you:
- sit in a corner of the restaurant against a wall. This is also a good idea for safety, so that you can see what is happening around you;
- sit at the bar and chat up the bartender
- bring a book or newspaper with you to read while you are waiting for your food;
- scroll through your phone
- this is a good time to journal your travels
The more often you take that step on your own, the easier it will become to escape your comfort zone and you will then be ready for that first big trip abroad and to travel solo like a pro.
Benefits of Solo Travel
Once you decide to escape your comfort zone into the world of solo travel, you will be surprised to learn the any benefit of travelling by yourself, such as:
- meeting new people and making new friends
- set your own budget
- complete freedom to do what you want, when you want
- you’ll become the best problem-solver and decision-maker
- you learn so much about yourself
- it’s less stressful than when travelling with others
- you are forced to step out of your comfort zone
These benefits not only apply to travelling solo, these are also benefits that can be adopted in other areas of your life.
Escape Your Comfort Zone and Travel Solo Like A Pro: In Conclusion …
Solo travel is all about discovering your inner strengths, connection with people, nature and culture, as well as getting out of your comfort zone. Enjoy the freedom of solo travel and get out and explore your surroundings. After-all, you deserve it!
Are you in need of the expertise of an experienced travel agent?
Kelly is a licensed travel agent and avid solo travelled located in Canada. She is passionate about ensuring her client’s have the best vacation possible.
If you are ready to escape your comfort zone, you might be ready to read:
- Travel Alone Or With A Friend: How To Decide
- Take Yourself On A Date
- Safety Gifts Every Solo Traveller Needs
- The Ugly Side Of Solo Travel: Untold Stories
- What I Wish I Knew Before My First Solo Trip
- Travelling Solo With A Disability
- Inspirational Travel Quotes For Women
- Mature Women Travel Solo Too
- 10 Tips To Make Eating Alone Easier
- How To Eat Healthy And Stay Fit While Travelling
HAPPY TRAVELS 🙂
Travel Solo Like a Pro!
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HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION:
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ACTIVITIES:
♥ Get Your Guide and Viator are the absolute best sites to plan and book any adventures, activities, and all things fun
BIKE AND MOTORCYCLE RENTALS:
♥ BikesBooking.com will find the best prices for bicycles, motocyles, and scooter rentals any place in the world.
CAR RENTAL:
♥ Economy Bookings will provide rental prices worldwide, which making it a one stop shop for the most reasonable car rentals
AIRPORT TRANSFER AND PRIVATE TOURS:
♥ Kiwitaxi is who you want to contact for transportation from the airport or train station. Why not arrange for a PRIVATE CITY TOUR with Kiwitaxi at the same time.
CRUISES:
♥ Cruise Critic not only provides reviews and answers questions, it also offers great cruise deals. If your a cruise lover (like me), I highly recommend that you check it out!
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
♥ Travel insurance these times of natural disasters, travel interruption and baggage loss is no longer a place where you can cut costs. essentials. It has become an essential part of travel. Visitors Coverage will take care of all of your insurance needs.
SAVE TO LEARN HOW TO TRAVEL SOLO LIKE A PRO!
Solo travel is my favorite way to go. Doing what you want when you want is invigorating!
It certainly is! It’s the only way to go for me, unless I’m travelling with my kids (who are all adults)
I don’t often travel solo and when I do, it is often for work. I do tend to sit at a bar to eat so that I can find out more about a city. While I still prefer to travel with others, there is something about traveling alone. Last year, I just ventured out on a crazy adventure for my birthday – kind of an impromptu adventure to the Outer Banks. It was a great trip and wouldn’t have been the same with someone else. I should do that more often!
The impromptu trips are always the best!
I always enjoy traveling with friends and family but can completely see how traveling solo can help you connect more to yourself. I think if I ever travel solo, I would probably prefer booking a group tour. Oddly though, every now and then I enjoy having lunch at a nearby restaurant by myself and find it the perfect time to catch up on some reading. Appreciate your tips on how to get out of the comfort zone during solo travels.
I often book a group tour, depending on where I am and what it is I want to see.
Eating out is still the hardest thing for me to do on solo trips! I like to grab and go back to where I’m staying or find a nice place to sit outside. I just feel less awkward eating in a park than a restaurant!
My wife and I are getting more used to the idea of each of us (occasionally) taking a trip on our own. I love photography, she doesn’t. She loves sleeping in, I’m an early riser. And so on, and so on. She’s my favorite travel companion in the whole world – but sometimes, a guy’s just gotta go their own way for a while.
Great article packed with very good tips on getting outside your comfort zone. I know the “eating alone” thing is hard for some people – that was my biggest challenge at first, too.
When I was married both myself and my husband went away on our own once a year. It was a great way to unwind and do our own thing. It’s important.
It used to be so easy to pick up and travel with people, I was always blessed to have a big travel squad. Now, as the squad moves onto other big adventures like having children and buying houses, it’s super hard to have them commit to bigger trips, and even sometimes small ones. I know I’ll have to embark on a solo trip at some point if I want to see more of the world, and I’m SO damn nervous! I really love your point about starting out at a place I already know and love, I think I can handle that. It’s like you say, one step at a time!
That’s exactly what pushed me into solo travel. Everybody had spouses kids etc. And didn’t want to travel. I didn’t want to Give it up so off I went and haven’t looked back
These are some great tips for solo travel. I travel with my boyfriend full-time, but now I’m itching to break away once in awhile to experience this.
You should. Even if it’s for 1 night away.. we all need our alone time sometimes
These are great tips. Eating alone has really never bothered me. I just sit there confidently and people watch usually, lol. I can see where this is intimidating for many people though, so your tips are great!
The thing that I get so upset about whenever I go into a restaurant, is that they ALWAYS ask one or 2? Hence my name “Just One” lol
These are really great tips for traveling solo. I totally agree that meal times are most uncomfortable during the trip when you’re alone.
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I sometimes still struggle with it
I love this post, getting out of your comfort is not easy when travelling solo, but it is so liberating!
It sure is! You learn so much about yourself
As an introvert, I enjoy solo traveling, even if it is in my own backyard! I think when you are by yourself you can see more than when you are with someone or with a group who may distract you. It is a great thing to do from time to time!
I agree. I love being by myself and I don’t consider myself an introvert although the older i get the more I find that I just want to do things on my own or with my kids and grandkids
Such great tips! Getting out of your comfort zone always makes for better experiences.
It certainly does and such a feeling of accomplishment
I love to travel solo for work and have become very comfortable eating alone. These are great tips! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been travelling solo for almost 10 years and at times I still struggle with the eating alone part. I find it the worst at all-inclusive resorts. They just expect couples all the time
My biggest (maybe only) hang up with solo traveling is eating out at a restaurant. In addition to your awesome suggestions to combat that I’ve tried two other things: 1) If food is served at the bar, sit there. Not only will the bartender chitchat with you, but there are often other solo travelers/diners sitting there, too. 2) Get carry out and eat back at your hotel/hostel. 🙂
Take is a good option. I know a lot of people like to sit at the bar. I’ve found mostly men sit there and I still don’t feel comfortable doing it.
Hi Kelly, Getting ready to START solo traveling and while I am slightly trepidatious I am more excited! I found you on Instagram when you commented on one of TheglobalGlutton’s posts. Noticed you are older and I’m 61. Feeling great though and so ready to see the world for the first time.
I’m InnerChildReboot on Instagram. Following you everywhere I can on social media.
Beth Ann what you are feeling is completely normal but solo travel is the most liberating thing you’ll ever do. I’m here to help ever step of the way. I can’t wait to here about your 1st solo adventure!